Where Do We Go From Here?
by Dave the Wordsmith
Summary: What happened to Judy that caused her sudden disappearance from the family? Find out here! Takes place during the fourth season.
1. What Happened?

**Chapter One: What Happened?**

Sobbing heavily and violently, fourteen year old Judy Winslow kept herself under the covers of her bed in an attempt to escape the pain of the argument that had occurred earlier in the Winslow household. The shame and embarrassment that sprung out of what Judy had committed yesterday not only caused her father to yell loudly at her, but her mother to lash at her in an unusual manner that brought her to tears. Luckily for Judy, Laura and Eddie were not there to witness this event. Neither were Aunt Rachel and Mother Winslow, who were the only ones that understood Judy's plight and tried their best to comfort her. After finding out that night when they returned from school and their after school activities, Eddie and Laura were unsure of what to do and did not try to talk to Judy that unforgettable evening. After a long talk with Rachel at the dinner table after everyone else had went off to sleep, Judy asked to be excused. Not because she was tired, which was what she had told her aunt, but to retreat to her bedroom and release the anger and sadness that had built up inside her heart. She regretted having the "discussion" with her parents and telling them the news she did not want to tell. But she had to.

Judy had become pregnant.

After finding out with a home pregnancy test two days ago that she had become pregnant by a boy she had liked at school, she didn't dare tell her parents. Oh no. They would go crazy if they had found out that their youngest daughter was the first to be pregnant at such a very young age. Not to mention that the father, her boyfriend at the time, did not want anything to do with Judy and threatened her to leave him alone not only verbally but physically. Judy didn't mean for the pregnancy to happen. She never did – it just happened without thinking it through. She knew that she was too young to become a mother or have unprotected sex, and vowed like her older sister to not have sex until marriage. But now, she could not try to pretend that the sexual act that she committed with her now ex-boyfriend had never happened.

Having finished in remembering the past few days that felt like a nightmare, Judy sighed and shivered nervously at the thought of ending what most women go through when married: the process of bringing life into the world.

_I'll get an abortion._

_**No. Don't. You'll be killing a life.**_

_But it's a life I can't take care of by myself._

_**Put it up for adoption.**_

_I don't want to risk there being a mistake and my child not knowing its' real parents. So I have to._

"Judy?" A familiar voice asked after a few soft knocks at her bedroom door. Hearing her name interrupted the conversation she had with her conscience and caused her to flinch in surprise. Peeking from under the covers, she saw the familiar outline and shape of a face she did not mind talking to at the moment. Seeing that they had poked its head through the slightly opened door, Judy let a little smile appear on her face.

"Come in, Aunt Rachel," Judy said in almost a whisper. Her voice still shaky from crying a few minutes earlier. Hearing the door open, she began to sit up from her sleep that she wished had come sooner. Her hair that had been nicely combed and sprayed was now tangled and astray due to negligence from being upset and tossing and turning in her bed the night before. She had a few dark bags under her eyes, which were now a light red that appeared almost light pink and made it look as if she had been awake for days. However, they looked that way because she HAD been awake. For a few days now.

"Judy…" Rachel ran over to her niece and kneeled down beside her, hugging her tight. She was still worried about her own flesh and blood as well as Mother Winslow. Rachel knew that Judy did not mean to do what she did those past few days ago, but what was done was done. There was no turning back. "Sweetie…I'm SO sorry about what's going on…"

"How come…HOW COME THEY DON'T LOVE ME, AUNT RACHEL?!" Judy shouted as she whimpered and began to cry again. "They ignore me…and don't want…to talk to me! Not even mom…wanted to…talk to me!" She added between sobs.

"I can understand how they feel…" Rachel began, patting Judy on the back and lightly rubbing her hand up and down her back a few times to comfort her. "But…I've never seen them this upset."

"I wanna love them, but…how can I…when they don't even want to talk to me?" Judy asked, her eyes remaining shut. She felt embarrassed to look at her aunt with tears overflowing from her eyes. She did not want to be this way in front of Rachel. Judy felt that almost anything would cause her to cry.

"I can understand Judy, because…" Rachel sighed and paused for a few minutes, biting her lip. She was afraid to look Judy in the eye with what she was about to reveal to her. "They have been treating me the same way."

"No way! Not you, Aunt Rachel?" Judy's eyes popped open as she pulled away from her aunt not in hate but in surprise and sympathy from what had flowed from Rachel's lips. Feeling her aunt suddenly wrap her arms around her shoulder, she looked down at her as Rachel continued to stare off into the distance. "But I've never seen them ignore you like they've done me?"

"It's true. Your father and I haven't been seeing eye to eye lately. You see…your Aunt Helen is sick and your mother said it was fine to use not only my money from the diner but a portion of your parents' money as well to help with her hospital bills until she gets out. But…" Rachel sighed again, feeling emotional as she sobbed a little bit. "When your mother and I told Carl about it…he understood at first. But he became angry as he saw it taking out more money than he liked, and began to lash out at me and Ritchie…"

"Aunt Rachel…" Judy cried out as Rachel hugged her tighter. "I'm so sorry…"

"And also…I haven't told your brother and sister but…in the next month, I'll be leaving for Detroit to live with your Aunt Helen."

"But Aunt Rachel…what about Richie?"

"Well…I don't want him to be affected by the move because he has so many friends here, so…Carl and Harriette agreed to let Richie stay here while I'm out in Detroit…"

After hearing the word "Detroit" for the second time, Judy began to think. She smiled to herself but did not want to show it on the outside and quickly put on a straight face.

"Aunt Rachel…?" Judy almost felt guilty of asking Rachel a particular question that had been brewing in her mind, but realized that it was either now or never to say what she had to say.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"…Can I move with you to Detroit?"

* * *

**To Be Continued…**


	2. Don't Worry

**Chapter Two: Don't Worry**

"Judy?" Rachel's eyes grew wide from her niece's sudden inquiry of wanting to move as well. She couldn't believe it. Judy Winslow, at age fourteen, was asking to depart from the house she had lived in her whole life and move in with her mother's sister. Even though Rachel had the means to support Judy, she still wondered whether Judy was making the most rational decision due to her emotions still running a loose. "Are you sure about this?" Rachel asked nervously, looking deeply into Judy's eyes.

"Yes…please…" Judy nodded with a stern look on her face. She had had enough. Judy thought that her parents, Carl and Harriette Winslow, would be understanding and try to help her out. But no. They would rather yell at her and almost pretend as if she did not exist. Even her siblings Laura and Eddie were following along with their parents and for that, she felt much love was lost in their connection that they had. "I feel I need to start over in a new city…maybe when I get older and apply for Illinois Occidental University, I can see about coming back…"

"All right. I'll let your parents know. And in a few weeks, we'll be moving out."

Judy happily hugged her aunt, thanking her out loud and crying into her shoulder. She was thankful that she had at least two other people who could sympathize with what was going on: her Aunt Rachel and her grandmother, Mother Winslow. Judy could not even think of talking to her cousin Richie, who she continually traded barbs with on a daily basis. Despite the teasing, Richie and Judy were close and would often play together when they had the time. However, she decided not to talk to Richie, due to the fact that he was only seven years old and would not be able to comprehend everything that was going on. The ex-boyfriend. The pregnancy. The arguing with her parents. Being evaded by her parents and her siblings.

_Maybe I wasn't meant to live here…_ Judy sighed as she let go of her aunt and they both began to walk out of her bedroom. _Maybe I was meant to live with Aunt Rachel._

"Aunt Rachel?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Do you mind if I stay in your room until we leave?"

"It's fine…but one thing?" Rachel asked as she paused in the hallway.

"Yeah?"

"You don't snore, do you?"

"Aunt Rachel!!"

"Just kidding."

* * *

Tiptoeing conservatively down the stairs to set foot in the living room, Judith "Judy" Winslow paused at the bottom of the stairway. Turning her head from side to side, she saw that the coast was clear. No other Winslows or Steve Urkel in sight. With that confirmation, Judy sighed in relief and smiled. Dressed in her pajamas, she began to walk behind the sofa toward the kitchen door to reach her goal: the refrigerator. Gently pushing the door open, she carefully peeked through the small crack she made to see if anyone was inside. Hearing the door creak loudly caused her to suddenly stop in case someone might have heard the noise she unintentionally caused. Observing that no one was at the dinner table or the kitchen counter, she knew that the room was empty and slowly walked in. Treading over to the refrigerator, she opened it with glee. Gazing at its contents, she hoped that there would be some satisfying sustenance inside to fulfill her empty stomach's morning requirement: breakfast.

_Let's see…_ Judy said to herself as she began to peruse each shelf. _Orange juice. Eggs. Bacon. Chocolate cake? Cherry pie? Those HAVE to be Dad's. _Judy rolled her eyes and shook her head as she closed the refrigerator door, not seeing anything besides the orange juice that made her taste buds do jumping jacks. Judy had not eaten in a few days and for Judith Winslow, enough was enough. She HAD to eat SOMETHING. Opening the refrigerator once again, she took out the half-full milk carton and reached up to the top cabinet to get her favorite cereal. Judy set them both on the table and walked back over to the counter, pulling out the top drawer. She reached her hand inside and pulled out a shiny silver spoon. Shoving the spoon into her mouth, she knew she had one more thing to get: the bowl. Almost dropping the glass bowl that she had up to that point successfully brought down from the cabinet, it wobbled back and forth in her hand until she grabbed it with the other to keep it stable. Frowning and cursing quietly in anger due to almost losing her balance, Judy shook her head as she sat down in front of her empty bowl.

"Aw shoot! I forgot the orange juice…" Judy pouted. She could barely get up from her seat before a glass of orange juice was quickly placed down in front of her by a hand belonging to a person she did not intend on seeing.

"Dad?!" Judy shot up from her chair in astonishment, knocking the cereal box and bowl over in the process. Dressed in his blue police uniform, Carl Winslow smiled as his youngest daughter was frozen in shock and surprise from his sudden appearance. Not knowing what to do due to his eerie silence, Judy looked around in nervousness.

"Um…um…" Judy smiled uneasily and began to back peddle, not turning around as she tried to make her way to the stairs to head upstairs. Before she could go up two steps, she bumped into her mother. Frowning with her arms crossed, Harriette stared coldly at Judy and walked forward, causing Judy to back up into the kitchen. Seeing her mother looking uncharacteristically angry at her caused her to get a little teary eyed.

"Mom…dad…I can expl-"

"I'VE GOT HER, CARL!" Harriette shouted as she grabbed Judy violently from behind and wrapped her arms around her in a vicious reverse bear hug. Shrieking loudly, Judy wailed her legs and her body in an attempt to break free from her mother's hold. Feeling Harriette's hand clamp over her mouth, Judy continued to yell as a few tears slipped out of the corner of her eye. Before she knew it, she was placed into and tied up with a thick black rope to one of the dining room table's chairs. Feeling a tight handkerchief being wrapped around her lips, the rest of it was shoved forcefully into her mouth.

"Thank you Harriette," Carl said with a straight face as she walked back upstairs. Carl walked over to the now silenced Judy who was resisting the hold on her and looked at her daughter, who was looking at her father with sorrow filled eyes. "Judy, I always thought you were a great daughter. Daddy's "little princess". But these past few days, I've thought differently about you. Your mother and I feel very ashamed about what you've done. So we have decided…you must go."

Seeing Carl take out one of his pistols from his belt, Judy's eyes widened at what her father was doing. Screaming loudly through the bitter cloth that was gagging her mouth, she began to wail but it ended up being for naught.

"Goodbye Judith Winslow…" Carl muttered as he aimed his weapon at Judy with both hands and pulled the trigger.

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Judy shouted as she jerked wildly in her sleep, tossing and turning under the covers. One of her arms swung out and accidentally smacked Rachel, who was sleeping next to her. Brought out of her sleep, Rachel saw that Judy was the cause of the sudden hit and wrapped her arms around the hallucinating fourteen year old in an attempt to calm her down. "Noooooooo…"

"Judy, relax…it was just a nightmare. You're all right," Rachel whispered to the now crying Judy, who was beginning to calm down and reduce her sobs to sniffles.

"But Aunt Rachel…it was so scary…"

"I know, I know…but go back to sleep, Judy. You have nothing to worry about. Besides…in a few more days, we'll be in Detroit…and everything will be just fine."

"I can't thank you enough, Aunt Rachel."

"You're always welcome."

* * *

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Who's With Me?

**Chapter Three: Who's With Me?**

Groaning from the small amount of fatigue left in her body, Judy Winslow turned over to her left side while half-asleep. Unconsciously, she recognized that the slightly larger figure sleeping next to her was absent as she felt nothing but linen and cotton grazing her fingertips. Opening her eyes, she saw an already dressed Rachel Crawford moving back and forth in the bedroom, appearing as if she were a human blur flying from one side of the room to another.

"Oh my God, I'm late for work! Where are those darn keys?!" Rachel fumed, looking around in her dresser and in both night stands on both sides of her bed. "I hope Richie doesn't have them again…"

Seeing her Aunt Rachel sprint out of the room followed by the door closing quickly behind her, Judy decided to slide out of bed and get ready for the day that was ahead of her. Glad that it was summertime, which meant no school for another few months, she took the initiative in taking her shower, brushing her teeth, and beginning one of her favorite activities: combing her hair. Taking out her long pink comb, she began to manipulate her hair into a style that was similar to her older sister Laura's. However, she exposed her naturally long bangs and pushed the majority of her hair behind her ears as a way of creating her own identity. She was glad she had changed out of her old hairstyle comprised mostly of large braids protruding from each side of her head. Laughing to herself, she could not even IMAGINE what ridicule she would go through if she showed up to the mall, the store or even school in the fall with that hair. But, she couldn't believe two other things that repeatedly came back every day to almost "haunt her". First, a week from now she would be moving to Detroit to live with her Aunt Rachel and her Aunt Helen. Second, Rachel had helped Judy set up an appointment at a nearby clinic to perform an abortion. After talking about it with Rachel, they felt the best thing to do was have the abortion. Taking a few final strokes through her hair with the comb, Judy sat it down on the dresser and picked up a few five dollar bills that Rachel promised she would leave for her this morning. Judy smirked at the possibilities of what she could spend with at least half of the money for today. Perhaps a movie would be nice? Her best friend's party that she said she MIGHT go to? Or drop by Rachel's Place and order her usual. The options were endless.

_If only I had a driver's license and a car…I'd definitely be a force to be reckoned with._ Judy thought to herself as she walked out of her bedroom, fully dressed and ready to go "steppin' out" like her brother Eddie would say. Walking down the hallway, she thought she heard a male and female voice arguing. However, she dismissed it and continued on her way. Hearing the two voices become even louder her eyebrows perked up as she backed up slowly, wondering who they were coming from. Seeing that it was coming from her parents' bedroom, she stood next to where the bedroom door was open and leaned against the wall in an effort to hear what was going on without being seen.

* * *

"Carl! I'm late for work! Let's just talk about this later, okay?" Rachel shouted with her hand on her hip and her head leaning over to the side, something Carl took as a true sign that Rachel and his wife were definitely related. Already dressed in his blue officer's uniform, Carl placed his hat onto his head and grabbed the wallet off of his bed. He was not about to let his sister-in-law just walk off like that before their conversation was finished.

"Rachel! I can't just shell out money on a whim without thinking about whether or not we may need this money in the long term to help pay for this house!" Carl said with a serious look on his face as Rachel continued to look at Carl as if he had gone mad, which according to Rachel's opinion was not far from the truth.

"Carl, the money's not just for Helen! Like I said last night, I'm also going to use part of the money to help raise Judy."

Judy felt as though there was a large group of butterflies fluttering around carelessly in her stomach at the mention of her name. She continued to lean against the wall next to the door and eavesdrop on Carl and Rachel's conversation.

"Oh…I see. Well…Harriette and I cannot get over what happened with Judy. We loved her a lot, Rachel. And we could have never imagined in a million years that Judy would do such a thing like getting pregnant before marriage, and at such a YOUNG AGE! At this point, Harriette and I feel that the only true children we have are Laura and Edward Winslow!"

"Carl Otis Winslow…" Rachel gasped with her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide open from shock from the unconceivable words that had spewed from her brother-in-law's mouth. "How can you SAY such a THING?! JUDY IS VERY HURT FROM YOU AND HARRIETTE IGNORING HER AS IF SHE DOESN'T EXIST! SHE KNOWS SHE MADE A MISTAKE, BUT SHE WANTS TO BE GIVEN **ANOTHER CHANCE**!" Rachel yelled, shaking a little as she tried her best to keep tears from bursting out of her eyes. Hearing what her aunt had to say, Judy tried her best to not do the same as her lips trembled and her breathing grew faster. She could feel her heart nearly pounding like a jackhammer as she continued to listen to what her aunt and her father had to say.

"Now Rachel…" Carl kept his voice at a normal volume, acting as if he did not hear Rachel almost shouting at the top of her lungs. "If Judy wants to move, then that's her decision. That's HER business. Harriette and I do not want anything to do with her anymore. She went out and did what we told her at age thirteen was an absolutely horrible thing to do. She went out and got pregnant out of wedlock. I told both Judy and Laura the same thing, as did their mother. Judy knew what was to become of her if she did such a thing..." The volume level of Carl's voice decreased to almost a whisper as he trailed off. Continuing to look at a speechless Rachel for a few moments, he began to head out of the door. Hearing Carl's footsteps grow louder, Judy quietly but quickly walked away and returned to her Aunt Rachel's bedroom before Carl could see her. As soon as his footsteps indicated that he headed downstairs, Judy stepped back out into the hallway to see if Rachel was okay. Seeing Aunt Rachel slowly leave Carl's bedroom with her head down and a somber look on her face, Judy saw her look up and shake her head as if to say 'I did all that I could do'. Making her way over to her aunt, she hugged her tight and whimpered into her shoulder, trying her best not to sob. She felt she had done enough crying. Patting Judy on the back of her head and her back, she frowned at how horrible her parents were treating her and sighed in sadness from the way they had treated Judy these past few weeks. After all of these years of knowing her older sister, Rachel pondered why Harriette was allowing Carl to treat Judy in this way and not have anything to say in Judy's behalf.

"I tried the best I could to get them to support you, Judy. But they still won't budge…"

"It's okay Aunt Rachel…I heard the whole thing…" Judy wiped a few tears from under her eyes and let go of her aunt. "I guess it's just you and grandma who understand what I'm going through…"

"You forgot about me, Judy…" A voice announced, eliciting a gasp from the fourteen year old Judy Winslow. Turning around to see where it came from, Judy smiled as she saw who had spoken and decided to not hold their peace. "I still have your back."

"…Laura. It's you."

* * *

**To Be Continued…**


	4. The Hidden Secret

**Chapter Four: The Hidden Secret**

Laura Lee Winslow looked down the other end of the hallway at her younger sister standing next to their aunt. Laura tried her best to smile but it ended up being just a small nervous looking smirk. Dressed in her pink and white pajamas that were slightly wrinkled from sleep, Laura received a quick hug and kiss from her Aunt Rachel as she let Laura know that she was leaving before heading downstairs to get to work. Seeing Judy just standing there with a melancholy, long face made Laura close her eyes as visions of her nightmare she had last night entered her mind. Not where she was being chased by a giant monster. Nope, not that. Not even being smothered by clones of her next door neighbor who was the same age and unfortunately attended the same high school: Steve Urkel. Now that she thought about it, she was surprised that she had agreed to let Steve Urkel, the "pest" as her father had let him be known as whenever he wasn't around, drive her to Detroit where the cheerleading competition was held. While Laura's team won first place, her mind was still thinking about someone that was very special and important to her, as well as the focus of her nightmare. Judy Winslow. She had dreamed that Judy was helpless, homeless, and left with nowhere to go in the mean streets of Chicago. Laura had tried to follow Judy but she ran so fast she could not catch up, leaving a distraught and depressed Laura to collapse to her knees. Crying with her head in her hands, her tears mixed with the freezing cold rain drops that were falling rapidly and heavily from the sky.

What could she do?

Hearing Judy unconsciously clear her throat brought the sixteen year old girl out of the few images that had popped into her imagination. As Laura began to walk toward where Judy was standing, she could feel the fatigue from the summer cheerleading competition she had the evening before run its course throughout her entire body, wrapping its tight, paralyzing grip around every fiber of her being, including her arms and legs. Just about everything.

_Judy. Poor Judy._ Laura thought as she was now face to face with her younger sister. Not knowing what to say at the moment, she wrapped her arms around Judy in a sweet embrace and looked down at Judy who was beginning to relax.

"We've got a lot to talk about…" Laura began as they walked together into Judy's room. "And a lot to clear up."

"Like what?" Judy asked as the both of them sat next to each other at the end of Judy's bed. Tilting her head, she patted her hands in her lap as she genuinely started to wait for Laura's answer. Laura sighed and emitted a 'well…' as she slowly began to reveal what had happened to her and why she was "ignoring" her.

* * *

Judy and Laura did not get along too well, not even compared to how Laura got along with their older brother or her cousin Richie. But Laura was interested about why Judy appeared less and less around the house. Laura Winslow was compelled to get to the bottom of things.

Laura remembered hearing the yelling from her mother and father. They were both talking in their room, yet it was as if they were screaming their heads off at Judy all over again.

A few days later, Laura asked them what had happened but received no specific answer, except that Judy was in trouble and that she and Eddie were not to talk to Judy again. Even though Laura reluctantly obeyed her parents' instructions, she still wondered what was going on and was curious as to why there was no explanation about Judy's well-being. Laura had tried walking over to Judy's room that night and figure out what had happened.

One knock at the door.

No reply.

Another knock at the door.

Again, no reply.

_Well…I tried. I'll try again later on, Judy. I wanna talk to you._ Laura sighed as she turned around and left to retreat back to her room and finish reading the play assigned for homework. Plopping onto her bed that was just made, she tossed her shoes off and reached over to the end of the bed to get the play she was supposed to inhale into her brain and regurgitate to the teacher the next day in class. After cracking her small red book open and reading a few lines of the play, Laura slammed the book shut in frustration and tossed it into her backpack that was sitting next to the door.

"Can't they get these things translated? Thee, doth, thou, blaaaaaah!" Laura exclaimed, though she was suddenly interrupted by a few knocks at her window.

"Hidey ho, my pet!"

"What do you want, Steve?" Laura sighed, looking at a peppy and cheery Steve Urkel make his way into her bedroom with his trademark bright red accordion wrapped around his neck.

"Well…you see, I was – AHHHHHHH!"

Tripping and falling onto the floor, Laura shook her head and rolled her eyes as he continued to struggle with getting the accordion from off the top of his body. Finally getting it off of him, he quickly got up and stared at the accordion still lying on the ground.

"I could've sworn if I didn't know any better that that thing is PO – SESSED!"

"And I could've sworn if I didn't know any better that you're a PE – ST!" Laura responded, receiving a blank face from Steve who was obviously thinking 'Wow, I can't believe she said THAT!'

"Is everything okay, Laura?"

"IS EVERYTHING OKAY_, LAURA?? IS EVERYTHING OKAY_? **NO, IT'S **_**NOT**_!" Laura shouted and flailed her arms, completely surprising the usually calm Steve Urkel as he looked on at her uncharacteristic outburst.

"Uh…uh, Laura?"

"Steve…just leave me alone, okay?" Laura managed to get out of her mouth as if she were running out of breath. She turned her back and pointed toward the open window, her other hand covering her face. She did not want to reveal to Steve that she was crying, or else he would want to figure out why she was doing that and then he would NEVER leave.

"Well…okay…" Steve shrugged as he grabbed his accordion from off of the floor and managed somehow to get out of the room without slipping or falling and descended down the tree to return to his home. Laura didn't even bother to notice as she had already fallen face down onto her bed and unloaded a barrage of tears into her pillow. Hearing a knock on her door followed by soft footsteps getting closer and closer to her bed, she felt a familiar pair of hands rest on her shoulders.

"Laura…what's wrong? I heard shouting in here from all the way downstairs…" The feminine voice whispered as Laura slowly looked up with slightly red eyes at who it was.

"Aunt Rachel…?" Laura asked between hiccups.

"What's the matter, Laura?" Rachel asked as Laura began to get up and sit next to Rachel, who had sat on the side of the bed next to where Laura was lying down. "This isn't anything like you…"

"You promise not to tell anybody?" Laura sighed and shook uncontrollably, still affected by her crying.

"You can tell me anything, sweetie…"

"Well…I was worried about Judy…I was worried that she had been left stranded somewhere, or…or WORSE…"

"Don't worry Laura, she's safe with me. She's in my room."

"…Oh…"

"Laura…I still don't think you're telling the whole truth…" Rachel sighed, giving Laura a stare that would give her sister a run for her money. Seeing Laura suddenly begin to cry again and cover her eyes with her hand, Rachel knew something was not completely right. "Laura…you can tell me anything, you know that…"

"It's just that…two years ago…" Laura sobbed, not wanting to look at Rachel who was looking on at her niece with deep concern. "I…"

"…Yes?"

"…I…"

"Yes, Laura?"

"…I was pregnant also."

* * *

**To Be Continued…**


	5. The Hidden Secret Pt 2

**Chapter Five: The Hidden Secret Pt. 2**

"Oh my God!" Judy gasped with her hand over her mouth from what Laura had just told her. Laura's story had placed Judy in a trance-like state and kept the fourteen year old paying attention to every word as if she were imagining what was going on in her head. "Laura…I can't believe it…"

"But that's not all, Judy…" Laura sighed, placing a hand on Judy's thigh to signal that she was not even close to being finished in telling her story. Laura was about to tell Judy something that would not only affect her deeply, but it would also bring back horrible memories. Memories that she wished she would not have to tell anyone, anymore.

* * *

"Laura Lee Winslow…" Rachel loudly gasped and stared wide eyed at her oldest niece, who was still battling toe to toe with her tears. So far, the tears were winning the first round. "Why didn't you TELL anybody?!"

"Aunt Rachel…I only THOUGHT I was pregnant…it scared me so much…" Laura slowly wiped the tears gathering under her eyes with the back of her hand as well as her cheeks. The only thing Laura felt she could do at this moment was hug her aunt out of the blue. She held onto Rachel's shoulders as if they were thousands of feet in the sky and would fall to the ground if she let go. Her lips were trembling uncontrollably due to the feeling of remembering what she went through after her evening out with Ted. It took place a few days after everyone had thought Ted had slept with Laura. The rumor had spread around the school, thanks to a few big mouths, and gave everybody the impression that Laura was "easy". The rumor was ruining Laura's "miss goody two shoes" reputation and it eventually brought her to tears in front of her mother and her Aunt Rachel the night after she found out. Steve and Eddie decided to use the "good cop, bad cop" strategy of talking with Ted and his friends in front of many of the students in order to get rid of the rumor once and for all.

At this moment, Laura felt her Aunt Rachel's soft, warm hands patting her on the back and running carefully through her hair in an effort to comfort her. It ceased her flashback and brought her back to the present, but it did not work in helping her feel better. Laura did not want to reveal to anyone else, especially her father, her brother Eddie, or even her friend and next door neighbor Steve Urkel, that she could possibly be pregnant. Similar to Judy, she had tried to protect herself but was caught in the moment of young, naïve and passionate love. The only difference was that she was a year older than Judy when it happened. Laura felt as though Ted were her first, her last and even her everything. No other guy had made Laura feel the way she felt. Nobody. Ted was why she had given up her vow of remaining a virgin until marriage.

"Aunt Rachel…can I be alone, please?" Laura managed to ask after a long, eerie silence that hummed in the ears of both women.

"You sure, Laura?" Rachel wondered, looking at Laura slowly nod her head 'yes' as her reply. Rachel was deeply worried about how Laura might be feeling. She never knew what could happen to Laura being in such a shaken up and emotional frame of mind alone and without anyone to get to the bottom of her problem. The only time Rachel had seen someone act like this was during her adolescence, and it happened to Harriette. One day after the breakup of Harriette's long term relationship with one of her boyfriends, long before she met Carl, she noticed that Harriette was shaken up horribly and would cry at almost anything that reminded her of her ex. It took many days, almost a few weeks, for Harriette to get over the fact that her relationship had ended. Thanks to Rachel and their mother's help, she was as good as new. Rachel realized that although Laura was Harriette's daughter, and in many ways exhibited similar behavior of her mother, Rachel could not deal with Laura the same way she tried to comfort her big sister in her time of need. That alone surprised Harriette when Rachel came to talk with her as they were often in competition with one another.

Laura shook a little as she felt Rachel's warmth that was emanating from her body go away. Laura was surprised that her Aunt Rachel would actually comply with her request. Without looking directly at her, Laura knew that Rachel had gotten up and started walking out of the room. Taking one last look over her shoulder at Laura sitting alone on the side of the bed, Rachel nervously exhaled and shook her head. She knew that on one hand, Laura should have her privacy. On the other hand, Rachel should know how her oldest niece was truly feeling. Something wasn't right, but she just couldn't figure it out. Rachel felt a little empty. She could not have this much of a relationship with anyone else in the house besides Harriette. Judy was only almost about to turn thirteen and could not completely understand the more mature themes woven throughout the many tales she had stowed away in her arsenal of advice and lessons that she could tell.

_I trust you, Laura…I don't have the time to tell you this…and even if I did I would probably be a little uncomfortable in doing so, but…I really care about you, and…I love you as though you were my own daughter._ Rachel said in her mind as she left where she was standing in the doorway and headed downstairs to help set the dinner table.

_I feel bad for how I acted with Aunt Rachel…but I don't think she'd understand…_ Laura Winslow pouted and crossed her arms, looking ahead at the blank, white wall in her room. It was the only part of her bedroom not adorned with a poster or any other kind of decoration. The wall eventually became a part of the room she used to stare at in curiosity or while in deep thought. _I actually feel bad about yelling at Steve…not that I have any feelings for him. Don't even think I have any feelings for him…but he's a friend and I should apologize to him._

Many emotions were running a decathlon in her head, most prominently the memory of that life changing night she had with Ted. 'How could I have been so stupid?' was the number one question she asked herself over and over again. She remembered the numerous talks she had with her father and mostly with her mother about sex, boys and relationships. Her mom and dad had promised to talk to Laura and Judy at age twelve about the "birds and the bees", which was what they did with Laura – a day she could vividly remember as if it were yesterday. Why those lessons were thrown out of the window on that night with Ted two years ago? She would never know the honest answer. A few weeks after they had sex, Laura knew in her gut that she may be pregnant. She was experiencing morning sickness, her period was late, and she had constant headaches thirteen days after their date. When she told Ted that she may be pregnant, he was speechless and had nothing to say. At first he told her that he was willing to be in the child's life if she was indeed pregnant. But as the days went on he began to see her and talk with her less and less. Steve, picking up on these turn of events, was curious as to why this was going on, and one day he arrived at the Winslow home to a sobbing Laura who gave the excuse that she caught Ted talking with another woman. Steve tried to comfort her but Laura told him to leave, which he did surprisingly and without any hesitation on his part. However, that was the least of her problems. The pregnancy was the bulk of them.

* * *

It had now been a day since she decided to stop talking to Ted. Sitting in the living room alone on the sofa, Laura turned the page of the novel she was reading. Deep into the tantalizing and suspenseful drama filling each page of the story, she almost forgot that the door bell was ringing over and over. Laura moaned with a hint of anger, carefully placed the novel she was reading on the coffee table and got up from the sofa to see who was ringing the door bell. Opening the door, she was relieved to see that it was her best friend Maxine Johnson. She had a smile that was obviously trying its best to stay on her face but eventually cracked and revealed her nervousness that was fighting to show its ugly head.

"Laura, are you okay?" Maxine asked, still standing outside and gripping both straps of her backpack. She wondered why Laura had called on such short notice. The only message she received was Laura saying that it was an emergency and to arrive ASAP with something she had requested.

"Max…we need to talk…" Laura turned around and walked over to the sofa, Maxine trailing right behind her. Both of them sat in the middle of the sofa and faced each other. Laura tried her best not to show any signs of weakness and put on the best straight face she could.

"What is it, Laura? You didn't sound too good on the phone…"

"Max…I think I might be…"

"Pregnant?"

"Max!" Laura shouted in surprise. Maxine covered her mouth as she realized that she yelled too loud and was afraid that someone may have heard. Looking around to see if her parents, her Aunt Rachel, Eddie or Judy might be around, Laura sighed and shook her head in relief. "How did you know?" Laura whispered, raising an eyebrow. She was amazed at how news had traveled that fast and managed to reach Maxine without Laura telling her first.

"Well…it's no secret when you had to leave class not once, not twice, but three times to use the bathroom. Not to mention that I also asked Ted. When I saw that he was acting strange around you, I had to see what was wrong."

"Max…"

"And Laura…you also asked me to bring you a home pregnancy test," Maxine took off her backpack and reached into the small pocket in the front. She reached in and pulled out the pink and blue box with the home pregnancy test inside. "Saying something about how Steve Urkel asked you to get one for him because he believed his long lost cousin might be pregnant?"

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Laura smiled nervously, taking the pregnancy test into her hands from Maxine's soft grip. It felt as though it weighed a ton when in reality it wasn't even close and it was rather light. "I also asked you to come by for support…in case I turn out to be…you know…"

"Pregnant?"

"Max!" Laura looked around once again for anyone else who may have made their way into the living room. She shushed Maxine, who blushed from accidentally talking above normal volume.

"Sorry Laura…"

"Max…pray for me…" Laura got up from the sofa and began to walk upstairs, looking down at Maxine who was still seated. "This may be the last time you see me if this test turns out to be that I'm…you know…the big P."

"I've got your back, Laura…" Maxine said as Laura disappeared upstairs and entered the bathroom, nervous as to how the results would turn out.

"Max?" Laura stood at the top of the stairs, her hands shaking nervously. One of them was clutching the test stick. It had been about ten minutes since Laura had entered the bathroom and followed the directions necessary to use the E.P.T. Pregnancy Test.

"Yeah, Laura?"

"I'm scared to read the results…I've got the test stick here," Laura said, reluctantly descending the staircase and walking over to where Maxine was sitting. Trembling as well, Maxine took the stick in her hands and quickly glanced at the small window on it which gave the result of whether it was a (+) or a (-).

"Did you see it yet, Max?"

"Umm…"

"Yeah?" Laura could feel her hands getting sweaty and her heart rate increasing even more. The seconds passing by felt as though they were minutes and hours. Looking down again at the results, Maxine saw the results and loudly gasped. She almost dropped the test stick from the results she saw from the pregnancy test as she stood up and looked almost dumbfounded at Laura.

"Laura…"

"Max, what is it?!"

"You're…"

"YES?!"

"…Not pregnant!"

* * *

"And it turned out that I was sick and so stressed out from preparing for my midterms, which was why I was suffering all of those symptoms…"

"Wow Laura…" Judy stared with her mouth wide open at Laura, who had wiped her eyes dry of tears for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "I can't believe it…it almost happened to YOU. Do mom and dad know?"

"No…and they'll never know. They would be devastated…" Laura shook her head, closing her eyes to try and suppress the pain of her mother and father even having an inkling of a hint that she was pregnant. "Which is why I wanted to tell you that story a few days ago, but you were still depressed about it."

"Yeah…"

"I also talked to Aunt Rachel yesterday about you and how you're moving to Detroit with her. Even though I don't tell you this much, I care about you Judy. I'm gonna miss you…" Laura's lips quivered, feeling some more tears well up under her eyes.

"I'm gonna miss you too Laura…" Judy said almost in a whisper as the two of them embraced, letting their tears flow from their faces.

"You just make sure you write to me and call me as much as you can…"

"I will, Laura. I will..."

* * *

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
